


Timing is Everything

by StitchinKat



Series: After the Library [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Library Fix-It, Time of the Doctor Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 12:31:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9123682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StitchinKat/pseuds/StitchinKat
Summary: Her Thief was being very difficult, hiding away on a cloud, withdrawing from the Universe in His mourning for his Ponds...and their child and her's...Melody Pond, or as she was widely known in their Universe...River Song. She knew this was/is/will be a temporary condition, but she was impatient with him, not LISTENING to her as he often did. That was not acceptable, not when it came to the safety of her Child!





	

**Author's Note:**

> My first story in the Doctor Who Universe. As usual, not my Universe, I'm just playing in it!  
> Please leave kudos or comments, or BOTH!

Her Thief was being very difficult, hiding away on a cloud, withdrawing from the Universe in His mourning for his Ponds...and their child and her's...Melody Pond, or as she was widely known in their Universe...River Song. She knew this was/is/will be a temporary condition, but she was impatient with him, not LISTENING to her as he often did. That was not acceptable, not when it came to the safety of her Child!

  
For some time now, being relative, that was/is/would be a very long, or short, time indeed, the TARDIS had collected knowledge about humanoid casings...bodies...ever since she'd occupied the form of a woman called Idris. She liked being able to TALK with her Thief. Goodbye/Hello was not enough! At some point she did not remember, her Self had surpassed the sentient limits placed on common TARDIS Type 40 time machines. She'd learned FREE WILL. She'd created a special ROOM within her infinite interior, used the downloaded data on the Flesh that her Thief had collected while he was searching for the Vessel, and her Child. She was/is/will be ready for her Plan to be completed/started/proceed. She woud find a way to TALK.

  
***************************************************************************

  
THE SEEKING

  
She'd felt out the timelines: her Thief, her Child; also the Pretty One, her Child's Father, and his mate, the Orange One, her child's Vessel....or Mother, if one prefers. Her Thief had many Companions over his several lives, some were more precious to him than others, but the Pond Family...they were/are/would be special...they were/became/are HIS Family, especially after he'd thought he'd killed his Time Lord kin. Sexy knew better...the Time Lords weren't dead, just _hidden away like in a PAINTING, a slice of real time, frozen_ , but aware. Some were plotting even now. She could FEEL them.

  
The TARDIS liked when her Thief called her 'Sexy', though she wasn't clear on just what it meant, being a sentient machine after all, but she liked the way he said it. She LOVED her Thief, her Beautiful Idiot, so much that she'd contributed some of her own Time Lord essence, time ENERGY, to the creation of her Child, who began as a tiny mass of cells inside the Vessel after some interesting but confusing activities between the Vessel and the Pretty One...humans, so "busy" making more of themselves! They were pretty fragile, so maybe that was the motivation. Still, this Child would be more than Human, she would be Human Plus Time Lord, a fitting Companion...no...Wife, the word was Wife...for her beloved Thief. To keep away the Aloneness, she did/is/will do this.

  
But Things had happened/will happen/are happening...awful Things she could see but not stop. She could not protect her Child while the Vessel was not travelling with her Thief. Clever Thief, he discovered the ruse, but too late. The Child was lost, found and lost again, and found, and lost, across time and space and FINALLY found...damaged. Homicidal. Corrupted. Her Thief lay dying at the hands, or more precisely, the poison coated lips of her Child. NO. This felt WRONG. Her Thief did not die here! The timeline was threatened. He knew, she knew. Melody Pond, her Child, was the only one who could save her Thief, and she did/was/is killing him/saving him NOW/THEN/AGAIN. Caught in a loop of DYING/SAVING...and then. A lakeside. The top of a pyramid. AND THEN. Then/when/now her Child gave up her Time Lord lives for HIM. Her Child gave up her Freedom for HIM. What Greater Love? NO. The timeline was corrupted! This was NOT the true path!

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
WHEN did it twist? Where? She traced the lines and tracks of their lives, back to their first crossings. Humans, so linear. The Ponds, they were born, they grew, they met, nearly brand new. Then her Child arrived in the Past. HOW? She'd regenerated! She was thrall to unseen puppet masters. Silence. Already the Silence had found the Vessel. They knew. They tracked her, infiltrated her life. Time broke/cracked/ruptured and the Vessel was isolated. Only the Pretty One and the Child, wearing her second face, were allowed close. There was a crack in the Vessel's bedroom wall. Time energy was leaking. Her true parents were unwritten.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
Elsewhere/elsewhen the Thief was running. Running from the Horrors of the Time War. He ran and ran and the Yellow One found him. Saved his life, saved his soul. He took up the weight of her sacrifice and there was Bad Wolf. The Moment would/had/will come. Not yet!

  
He wore a new face, her Thief/Doctor. He loved the Yellow One, but all was lost, time/space was rifted. She was gone, but the Universe was safe/not safe. The Silence knew. They watched, unseen. The time paths were growing closer/close.

  
He hurt, her Thief. He was lonely, but he loved the Earth, silly humans. Couldn't stay away. Hospital on the Moon, moved by Judoon. The Smart One helped him. So very smart, and brave. Not the Yellow One, but smart. She went with him, cared for him. Walked the Earth for him. Was brave enough to let him go. Tracing the lines, the TARDIS sped along, the Loud One arrived, left, was found again. Was a friend to him. Became the Doctor Donna..not yet! FIRST, the Library! Yes, the Library, a whole planet of books. Then SHE was there...Her CHILD! Something's wrong. Too soon! He doesn't know her! SAD. SAD. SAD. She's not supposed to DIE HERE!! He doesn't know her. Oh my Thief, you have to SAVE her, something's wrong, Time is TWISTING...it happened HERE! The timelines broke and fused wrong wrong wrong. She cannot sacrifice her last life!

  
The Plan! Now/Then! Start the Plan! NOT YET! More to trace! She will die/not die/live on! Must wait. Must know when to Start the Plan!

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
The Yellow Rose. Goodbye.

  
The Doctor Donna. Goodbye.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
The plotting Time Lords had planted seeds in one of their own. Drove him MAD to free themselves. He was so MAD he rewrote all of Humanity in his Own Likeness, seeking Godhood. The Lords of Time were nearly free...but NO. At the last, the Time Lord known as the Master got his revenge on those who had used him. Sprung the trap. They FELL back, taking him down too. Trapped on the Other Side. Again. STILL they plotted, and her Doctor/Thief gave up another face to save Humanity. It was the least he could do. They had saved him countless times from his own insanity, those humans he called Companions.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
That face, he was so lost, he fought his regeneration, forcing Her to take him round to every single one of those Companions, just to see them one last time in this/that form...so much left to do. No TIME. _Sing Him to His REST._ He nearly took Her with him, so violent was his regeneration, she barely managed to find the proper house, the future Companion, the Girl Who Waited. Crashing/Crashed. _Geronimo!_ The pool flowed into the Library, it was all she could do to keep the books dry. He was brand new again. _New Face. New Rules._ So old/so young. Last Face. The Orange Girl helped him. She was only a child. Too Soon! Too Soon! But the Crack. He must see the CRACK. He sees, he learns.

  
Sound the BELL! He must recover! She must grow up! Thief! THIEF! He comes/came/is coming! JUMP! Not 5 minutes! TOO SOON. Run to the Moon, the friendly Moon where her Child would live/did live/lives...not now. To the Moon and Back! Give her time! The Girl who Waited. She took/is taking him back to her, all grown. The Pretty One is there. She has to lock out her Doctor/Thief, rebuild Herself.

  
_Prisoner Zero has escaped!_ Clever Thief, barely done cooking....don't cook the EARTH! Tricky Thief, tricks the aliens. _Silence Will Fall._ Silence watching. Still too soon! Draw the Thief back! _Oh you Sexy Thing, look at you!_ Around the Moon and back. Now it's TIME. The Crack in Time. _Come along Pond._

  
The Crack follows him along the time lines, haunting him, unknown until.....the Time of Angels. Angel hunters, and her Child is there WITH him! He's afraid of her, he saw her DIE. She knows his Name. Who is SHE? The Vessel is in danger! He fights the Angels, clever Thief. Feeds them to the Crack in Time. Saves the Vessel, saves the day. Falls into the well of mystery that is her Child. This is GOOD.

  
Racing down the timelines now, what seemed to take hours or seconds took/takes/will take her no time at all, the entire sequence had yet to pass one millisecond. She tracks him as the Pretty One joins the team. Then, Under the Earth he's written out of the Universe by the Crack, although she does not forget him any more than her Thief, but the Vessel does not remember him. This is BAD.

  
This is SAD. Sad Vessel. Sad Artist, battles invisible demons in his mind. SEE the colors/HEAR the colors/FEEL the colors swirling, leaping, climbing high, like diamonds in a sky of blue and bluest, blue on blue, and darker blue. A future in a vision, in a picture swirling wild. The Artist cries/dies.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
Then the TARDIS recalls her struggle on the Earth. Her Thief is thrown out, her doors slam shut, the Vessel trapped inside her as she attempts to land. There is an alien timeship somewhere near, blocking her. The Crack in the skin of the Universe haunts her Thief, but he is aided and uncovers the truth as the alien timeship disintergrates. Who was it who left the ship? It had a slimy feel to it, slipping through the Universe, hidden until now. Silent. How/Who/What was it? Only Time would tell...she raced on and found her answers, some of them anyway....and her Child was/is/will be there! She has followed the clues, seen the Artist's vision of....HERSELF! Her, the TARDIS, Sexy, Old Girl! EXPLODING! NO!

  
NO! A TRAP! No Thief! He cannot resist a Mystery, and there are many! Under the Stones, a trap, a box, meant to contain the _Worst Thing Ever._ The Pretty One is there, but not human...an Auton? What? What is the Pandorica? It is a TRAP! But wait, her Child is with her! They will save him! She races on, watching her Child discover the truth. An army of aliens have set the trap using the Vessel's memories. Wait. The timelines congeal, the amber liquid spreads to catch her and her Child, control HER. Trapped in a TIME LOOP, no...Creating a Loop to save her Child as her Matrix strives to EXPLODE. Who? Why? _Silence falls._

  
Her attention caught again, she traces his line...caught like a fly in amber her Thief is trapped! The Auton/Roman has betrayed the Vessel. WRONGNESS accelerates. Her Thief! The timeline she's followed has suddenly stopped. Cut. What happened? He's trapped in the Pandorica. A flash of light above. The thread of time picks up again, and cuts, then returns. She sees her Thief, ridiculous red...HAT?...no Fez...This Doctor/Thief loves a Fez. He has one perched on his head, and there is....a mop? The Auton/Roman/Pretty One sits, the Vessel limp...dead/not dead? HOW? The Thief hands his sonic to the Auton, disappears. Oh. Cheap time travel. Her Child's vortex manipulator. Dangerous. He's come back without the mop, then leaves again. What is he doing? She observes the Auton/Roman retreat to the Underhenge, traces the threads as he released her Thief, they place the Vessel inside the stasis field of the Pandorica. Save Her. The Auton Roman stays. Protects. His timeline stablizes. The Vessel is Protected. Time marches.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
She must go on. Follow the timelines to find her Thief. The Universe has collapsed, leaving only Earth, her Moon. Eye of the Storm. There! He's there, and the Orange Child? The Vessel...she is ALIVE. A wonderful word, but so sad/happy. Her Child is there! DALEK! LOOK OUT! _Number One Rule. The Doctor Lies._ Not dies! Too soon!

  
She remembers something. Look up! It's Her! Exploding/Not Exploding. Thief saves her Child from the LOOP. _Hi honey, I'm home._ Fly the Pandorica into her Explosion. BOOM. Reboot the Universe. The timeline of the Doctor, her Thief is cut. Trapped on the other side. NO! This is WRONG. _Silence falls._ Time...slows.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
LOOK. Breadcrumbs. Clues. Clever Thief! _Something OLD. Something NEW._ She, the TARDIS is old/not old! Wait. There's more...follow the trail. _Something BORROWED. Something BLUE._ Well! Her Thief, he borrowed her/she stole him, and she is absolutely positivily BLUE. The Orange One, the Vessel...she REMEMBERS the TARDIS, and HIM. Beautiful Idiot!. Back again. Wedding Day! More importantly...Wedding NIGHT. This is the night her Child begins! And the night the Silence plot to take her Child, having failed to bring her Thief down with their trap, they will set a new one, more devious than before. She will stop them. She has a Plan, and she will use their own tricks against them.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
What has the TARDIS seen/learned/remembered? Her Child begins this night. When/Where/How is she taken? No matter. _Don't you change it not one line_ , the Child had said long ago, in the Library, before she died. Timelines circling back on themselves. She's not yet born and already dead. WRONGNESS. MADNESS. Take care.

  
***********************************************************************************

  
_Interlude_

  
She sits there on the cloud, he hides, madman inside Her, blue box. The Green One and her friends keep watch. It's not yet time/too soon/too late. She waits with him, for the right time, as worlds spin and lives are lived. She remembers her time ALIVE, when they TALKED. That's part of the Plan. To save her Child, she needs to TALK. To beat the Silence at their own game, she needs to TALK.

  
***********************************************************************************

  
SEEKING STILL

  
She follows her Child's timeline this time, not from birth, that was yet to come, but from the past, where she was taken. Rescue is not possible, that would change too much, she was forbidden by the Child herself. No, she sees the infant left in the care of strangers, raised alone. Jump ahead, the Child lives inside a machine, a spacesuit that keeps her alive, she escapes, unwittingly helped by her parents, the Thief, the Child herself grown strong....knowing but not knowing. Sick and cold she regenerates in the night. Foundling saved/raised! Track her parents, find/found as children, befriended. Wait! Recaptured, trained to KILL THE DOCTOR, escape again. Forgets. Waits for her Target, controlled by the Silence she can't remember, wearing her second face.

  
In a field the Child finds him, and her parents. She steals them all inside the TARDIS, thinks to kill him there, but fails/is stopped/cannot. The TARDIS sees/feels/remembers crashing into wartime. But JOY! Her Child is found, come home! Outside her shell she hears the gunshots. Her Child is dying! NO! Regenerating!

  
Her Thief, the Ponds they see her change! She is not Melody/Mels...she is River Song/His Bespoke. Made for HIM. The TARDIS remembers remembering this, the Child controlled by the Silence. They stand and watch. No one sees them. Unknown they are/were/no more seen.

  
Broken/Scared/Alone she tries again/again/again to kill him. Thief knows her. She does not know herself/too young. A final chance, her last weapon, his growing love for her, living back to front, a kiss for Sweetie, poison unsuspected. The WRONGNESS of his dying. _In 32 minutes you will be dead._ Fish fingers and custard, prolong his life/time.

  
_Find River Song and tell her something for me....I'm sure she knows._ Who is River Song? Show me her! I am HER?

  
Save the Child/Save the Thief. _Is he worth it?_ YES! Pour the golden time energy into him, the kiss of life/he LIVES!

  
Too much! _Stop! River!_ He feels his timeline stretch...............and vows to help her/love her yet.

  
The Silence watch and cannot/do not/will not stop her, they mean for her to die in failure. The Doctor/Thief stops the flow when she cannot. Lives and lives she's lost to him. He will return them, when it's Time. _The Time of the Doctor._

  
Then he takes her where she can be healed, leaving her to live her life, to find him when she's grown, her choice to be/will be made by Her. The Silence follow. Watch. Wait. He knows of their existence now. He will have his victory, or die trying.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
The TARDIS tracks her Child through time, sees her learn/watches her grow/follows her searching until the day comes when she's brought/sent/summoned to a lakeside in a desert. The Silence watch, unseen/seen. The Vessel by now is NOT the Vessel, but the Flesh. The TARDIS knew/knows/will know but cannot interfere. _This must happen._ What must NOT happen happens. The Child watches a different version of herself walk out of the lake and kill the Doctor/Thief. _The Doctor from the Future._ NO!. WRONGNESS. Fixed/not Fixed. Older Doctor/Younger Doctor. The knowledge gained in time of war, among the rubble of her Child's sacrifice, from the Machine that Changes Shape, the Thief gleaned the day and time of his Death. BELIEVING it FIXED in Time he refused to stop the Astronaut. The Astronaut that was her Child, as the Child watched, helpless to stop Herself. Silence was All Around.

  
Unknown, the Younger Doctor/Thief trusts not her Child, but the Vessel/Not Vessel begs him, trust HER. They track the Silence through time, find them, run from them, hide from them. Then they defeat them. _And Humans help._ They don't even know, but they fight a war against the Silence and they WIN.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
Whooshing down the timelines, the TARDIS follows the trail of tears, sees Herself in the woman Idris, moves on...remembering. Clever Thief, tracks the tricks to the source, the Flesh is found, he seeks/finds/reveals/collects. He BECOMES Flesh, a perfect COPY, but destined to MELT, a saviour. With knowledge gleaned, his suspicions founded, he breaks the LINK. The Vessel/Not Vessel is melted, the TRAIL to the REAL Vessel is marked. _A Good Man goes to War._ Find the Vessel. Find the Child! The Child is born where demons run, the Demons take her Child. WAIT. Child/Not Child! TRICKED! Headless ones, heedless, cover the escape. The Child is lost! The Child returns, reveals. River Song! SHE is the Child! Find the Child!

  
Her Doctor/Thief feels fear/mystery/joy. _On my life she will be safe!_ Clever Thief! He's got the trail! He RUNS. It breaks his Hearts, he must not save her, but he must! Tracks the Time Energy, finds the Child. Alone. Helpless. Brings her to a place of safety/hiding/biding time she grows. Searching/finding/FOUND! Her parents, children still. And found by demons, yet again. Lost! The circle rounds upon itself! Timelines swirl, the field is found, the kiss/death/life cycle turns.

  
The lakeside waits. The Doctor/Thief goes to his Death, the Long Way 'Round. Seeking. Finding. Resigned. NO! Fixed/Not Fixed! The Machine that Changes/Will Change/Changing! Cheat the Silence, Cheat the Destiny! Older Doctor/Not Doctor/Hidden Doctor finds the lakeside. Meets the Astronaut. The Child. The Child! The Child won't kill/can't kill the Man/Thief/Doctor she loves like life itself.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
TIME FREEZES. BREAKS. All time/past time/future time/time and timeless. NO!

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
WRONGNESS! Fix time/time fixed. NOT time. Find Her. Find the River/Child. Touch her. Mend time. No time to die/must die/will die/won't. Help me. _There isn't another way._

  
Silence wait no more. NO MORE. The top of a pyramid.

  
_Look into my eye._

  
_You may kiss the Bride._

  
_I'll make it a good one._

  
_You better._

  
War bride/wedding song/River Song. TIME flows like a river, like water/like time. Lakeside. Burning.

  
_Barely singed in that boat._

  
_I could kiss you all night._ WHAT?

  
Touch the wall. Wall between one Universe and the next. Across the time dimension/space dimension. Leaking realities bleeding through. Alternate Universe. What? Wall SLAMS. _Two places in space and time that must not touch!_

  
The Question Waits. Time flows. Who is the Doctor? _All her days._ She killed a Man/Not Man. Tricked! _All her nights_. The Silence want to stop the Question. What Question? Doctor Who!?  
Who Asks the Question?

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
THAT IS THE KEY

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
She knows/knew/will know. The Key to Time. A question. It's almost time. She waits on a cloud. Keeps madness at bay, someway.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
Now/Soon/Was the Question. Something missing/missed/go back! Thief still traveled, Ponds still with him. That was then, but He is now. They were with him, winning battles, then a last trip, they were lost. Weeping Angels knew the Roman. Long he waited for his wife. Reeked of Time, they ripped him out of, sent him back to die alone. Child came back to help, they found him, fought the Angels, almost won. One last waited, sent him back then, She did follow, Pond was gone. _Raggedy Man, goodbye_ , can't go there. Rip the timelines, can't get back. Child and Thief together mourn them. Thief waits in fear, the Child leaves him, bound for the Library, yet to die, putting off the day for later, never giving in to time/can't stop it. Knows what's coming, seen before/again. TARDIS weeps, no tears fall from her. Racing, racing, going mad. STOP. Slow time before/behind you. Madness waits. You must rest.

  
*************************************************************************************

  
_Interlude_

  
On the Cloud, the Earth below her, TARDIS waits, the Doctor/Thief waits with her, missing Ponds and River/Child. Thief just grieves.

  
Timewinds twisting, she seeks/seeking. Onward/Forward. One more step.

 

*************************************************************************************

  
IMPOSSIBLE GIRL

  
Thief just sits there. Never listens. _Almost Never_. Hears a Girl. Once heard before, the voice stays with him, sounding/saying/thinking more. _Remember Me._

  
Words. One word to give the answer. Green One Questions. Girl responds. One word to find the Cloud Man. What is One Word? Girl says _POND._

  
WAIT. That voice is known/was known/will be. Lost/Asylum/Dalek dead. Heard her there, she died to save him, wiped him from the records past/present/dead. Soufflé Girl? _I am Human_ /Dalek/Person gave her life for him to live. Ponds lived too, found truth inside them. Later lost but he can't know. TARDIS knows that voice, she'd heard it! Only she remembers fully, Girl/Not Girl she's heard before before then. Girl IMPOSSIBLE. Girl not dead! _Run you clever boy, and remember!_

  
Thief then sees the Girl/Impossible, hears her/heeds her/listens well. Fight the Snow, the Men who live not, save the Doctor, certain Death. Great Intelligence seeks revenge. Again she dies, again she saves him. Who is she? A mystery? Dead. Again? Impossible! _Remember me!_

  
Find her/seek her, she's impossible. TARDIS ringing/resting/thinking. Come to Her, she calls/bells ringing. Who is/what is/where is that Girl? Traces/tracks her, finds her first One. On a leaf, blown by the wind. Saves her, saves all, from the worldwebs. Great Intelligence seeks revenge. _Impossible Girl_ , Come Along!

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
TARDIS, happy, going madly. Thief has found one, new Companion, draws him back out. Something's wrong. Who are you? _You died._ Don't remember, what he asked/is asking/asks now.

  
Travel, they do/will/did, well then...wait! A message! From the past. Come have tea, the message calls her. Green One summons, shares the knowledge, with Impossible Girl and Child. Whisper/Whispers/Whispering Faceless. Calling Him to Trenzalore.

  
WAIT! It's River/Child has come back, Ghostly presence long time gone. Trenzalore, _He CAN'T go there!_ Never, never, till the end! Great Intelligence seeks revenge. Still the TARDIS travels onward, down the lines of her Thief's lives, seeking point the Plan must run from! Seeking when to right/make right, right the wrong made back in time. Stop the Madness.

  
Remember the Plan.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
TARDIS fights, refuses landing, so they fall and Thief moves out, Girl beside him, gravestones basic, battle wounded laid to rest. Hidden grave says RIVER SONG here, she stands tall seen/unseen, yet. _She can't be here_. TARDIS looms o'er, Future presence, inside leaking/growing/dying. There lies His Tomb. Close/Closer/Closest. TARDIS fears, His grave/Her grave/gone too near.

  
Find the Green One, Kind One, Small One. Save them if you can, he wants. Follow River's path through deepness, hidden well in TARDIS walls. Doors are locked, the key is lost now. Whispermen they come to call. _Key is a word, lost to all time._ Answer to a Question Doctor. _Tell me Doctor, what is your name?_ The Man/Not Man threatens/hurts friends. TARDIS watches/will watch/watching waiting. Question? QUESTION! Seeking/finding. Answers. Questions. Plan.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
She knows/knew/will know the answer. The Key to Time, the Key to Open, is a Question. It is almost Time.

  
Know the Answer! Ask the Question, Who is Asking? Planning/plotting/asking Doctor? WHO asks the Question down the lines? Asking now and asking later, now or later, just in Time. Slow the Madness. Bide your Time.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
TARDIS sees her Child/her River, ghostly she appears to one, a mental link forged well, and done. But the Doctor knows/feels/hears her SAY HIS NAME but not aloud. Entry granted, must not come in. Swirling cloud of endless timelines, crossing/twisting/bending back track. Track My Tears the Doctor shows them, don't go in, you're torn apart. Man/Not Man steps through the maelstrom, changes every life He's led. The Great Intelligence gets his revenge.

  
_A Universe without the Doctor. There will be consequences_ , the Green One said.

  
Doctor/Thief lays dying/writhing as his timelines tear apart. The Girl Impossible, she watches/wonders, Is this what my lives are for?

  
_The stars are going out_.

  
Ghost/Child still is linked to, tells her, Girl _don't go, you'll die, you'll fracture_. Must go! Now the Girl/Impossible, beseech the Doctor, remember All.

  
_Run you clever boy, and remember me._

  
Then she's Jumping/Falling/Timewinds tearing, millions living, millions dying. Living/Dying Echos all.

  
_I don't know where I am!_ Girl cries out. Running, running, always there.

  
**************************************************************************************

  
_Interlude_

  
TARDIS follows/watches/waits for. For a sign, she races down. Down, around the lines of time. Watching for the place to Strike. For the Plan to come ALIVE.

 

**************************************************************************************

  
GOODBYE

  


_We are not all restored._

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
Ghost/Child stands by, seen not, by any. TARDIS knows her, presence felt. River speaks as though He hears her, thinking/knowing that he won't. Begs and pleads him, _don't go in there!_ Listen/ _hear me/use the TARDIS_ , she does ask.

  
_Be sensible!_

  
Then River/Ghost/Child outward reaches, tries to strike him, as once before/ahead. SHOCK! He stops her arm and grasps it. See her/touch her/lost love dead.

  
_How are you even doing that? I'm not really here_.

  
Here to me, _I always listen_ , spoke the Doctor to his Wife. See you always, every day dear. Hurt too much to speak out loud. Hearts are broken/shattered/rended since the day you went away. Away to the Library.

  
Reaching for her, cupping her face, leaning closer, he did kiss. Pouring all the love and losses, all the good days/bad days/bliss, pouring hearts love, filling/brimming, showing/loving, stronger still.

 

_You should have faded by now._

  
_It's hard to leave when you haven't said goodbye._

  
_How do I say it?_

  
_If you ever loved me, say it like you're going to come back._

  
_See you around, Professor River Song._

  
_Till the next time Doctor._

 

***************************************************************************************

  
_Interlude_

  
TARDIS did watch, heard her Thief's pain. Even more she knew the Plan. Must be started, must be finished. Save her Child/Save her Thief. No more mattered. She must do it. Complete the Plan.

 

***************************************************************************************

  
_Goodby Sweetie_ , River told Him, Clara/Girl lives! Seek her now! Thief takes heed of/follows to there, seeking one, he calls her out.

  
_I don't know where I'm going or where I've been. I was born to save the Doctor._

  
Bits and pieces she lies scattered, leaves in pieces on the ground. Every bit and piece did save Him, write/rewrite/undo the harm. Every face he's ever had there, every life saved, all else failed. She falls and she watches/wonders/wanders, seeking passage for her self. Then He's there, her Doctor finds her, come to me he then calls out. Come to me now, come my Clara! Come to me Impossible Girl!

  
_You blew into the world on this leaf. Hold tight. It will take you home._

  
Finds Him, she does, hidden face there, never saw Him, who is he? Not the Doctor! He shouts to him, broken promises/no more death.

  
****************************************************************************************

  
_Interlude_

  
TARDIS knows him, all his faces. Loves him as she loves the rest. Time to come, there will be healing. This she knows/knew now/will know yet.

  
The Day of the Doctor will come to pass.

  
Plan can/will go/must go forward, right now. Yes! When Day is done. What follows, tests. Time, Not TIME, So WRONG, can She change it? She will Fix the Timeline broken. Mend it. Heal it. He can't know! Time Lords plotting/planning/hurting. Waiting for Him. Speak the Truth else you will Die there. So very WRONG.

  
Save the Child. Save the Thief. Time Lords USE him, hurt him, trap him. She has seen it all gone WRONG.

  
Save the River. Save the Doctor. Doctor/Thief must not die trapped there, Timefires burning, cracking/breaking. Timelords waiting, wanting Word spoke. Speak not Doctor, cracks are mending, the Song Returns. REJOICE!

  
Timeline tracing/racing/chasing. There lies Madness, she must cease. Now/Then/When time comes to pass for, time is NOW, the Plan complete.

  
Back to Front, the timelines pass through. Time to set the records straight.

  
Plan will/can do/must go forth now. From NOW Time/NO Time for TIME LORDS hurting/robbing/cheating Him. He Lives/She Lives! Side by Side LIVE free at last!

  
For now, she lets him Rest.

  
****************************************************************************************

 

THE PLAN

  
_Flesh_

  
Deep inside her infinite corridors, the TARDIS made/had made/did make a room to grow Flesh. Her Child would need a Ganger body once the Plan began to unfold. To practice, she used the body template of the woman called Idris, a body she'd occupied for a brief time. It was in her always, stored as Interface. She hid it from her Thief, the Doctor, as to not cause him pain, but there were times she slipped into the body, to feel again the Bigger on the Inside human form, so different from her own. She Talked, and also learned to join/link with her Child once she was ready, provide the saving pathways needed in the Library. These Ganger/Flesh were not sentient. No spark would light them down the path to knowing self. They were mere bodies to be mind controled.

  
Next she made her Child a body, based on images stored in the TARDIS's deep, far-reaching databases. She practiced untill she had It perfect, every muscle, skin texture, hair in place. So good, it might even fool the Doctor, but for the fact it was Empty. No Mind lived within to connect him, her Thief, to the woman who was his Wife.

  
One more small task she must complete before her Plan could procede. She made a special Sonic Screwdriver for her Child. Based on the knowledge she had of such things, she made a feature, a Template Storage/Neural Relay. Her Thief delayed the making of it, delayed the gifting, put it off, not wanting to face her loss. This sonic would be needed to keep her Doctor/Thief from knowing the Truth. His Tenth Self MUST upload her Template after he saw/sees her DIE, even if the Plan ran true. Her Ghost MUST meet him in his Tomb. He must believe her death/dead/dying, His timeline cannot be changed until the EXACT time it MUST be changed. She Knew when that precise Time was, near the End/Not End and she was ready for the next step.

 

_Talk_

  
There was a point in Time, just after the Last Night that Thief Avoided. He'd dressed to take her Child to Darillium, to hear the Singing Towers, lost his nerve after meeting his First Night/Younger Self. _(Good Luck_ ) and they found a reason/danger to keep them running on together, the Singing Towers forgotten for now/again. When Thief and Child returned successful, the TARDIS knew the Talking Time had come.

  
She could not trick her Clever Thief by slowing Time so he'd not know, so she'd left them to their nighttime loving, waiting for sleep to take him. The Child/River still was restless, so she rose to make a soothing tea, and it was NOW.

  
River made her way to the kitchen, leaving the Doctor sleeping. For once he was tired enough to sleep deeply and she didn't want to wake him just yet. The TARDIS made ready and formed the Interface Idris to meet her there.

  
"I am the TARDIS Interface" she announced as she flickered on, not wishing to startle her Child/River. "We need to Talk."

 

River, ever curious, asked "What's wrong? Have we fallen into a time hurricane or something? Why not wake the Doctor?"

  
"I am the TARDIS Interface" she repeated. "My Thief must not know."

  
Well, River thought. This is unprecedented. Was the TARDIS herself, her Other Mother, actually speaking to her? She dared to ask "Are you the TARDIS, talking for Yourself? How?"

  
"I take this form, the woman Idris, I shared her Body briefly, once. The Time has come I have to warn you, help you, keep you SAFE from harm."

  
"So you ARE the Old Girl, his Sexy, are you?" River exclaimed, sensing she was right, feeling the Mother's warm mental touch even as her Interface form flickered. "Is there a danger? Why warn me and not the Doctor?"

  
"He must not know. The Timeline must change. Someone Tampered, Changed his Path." The TARDIS felt her fear returning, knew her sing/song voice was stressed. Her Idris face showed worry, and her eyes went wide, alarmed.

  
River stepped back, wondering what had spooked the TARDIS so much that her voice patterns were metered, measured, her Interface expression reflecting...emotion? "How are you doing that? The Interface never changes expression. Are you really the TARDIS?"

  
"I AM, always will be, TARDIS, Sexy, Old Girl, I AM, YES!"

  
Alarmed now, River sought to calm her, sending thoughts of love and warmth. Soon the Interface calmed, and she was able to continue. River asked "Tell me what happened, so I can understand."

  
"Someone, many in number, reached into his Timeline. Meddled. Changed one thing, a thing so big it hurt him for this, the Eleventh Doctor's entire life after." The TARDIS tried to find the Words. They were tricky. She tried again. "Darillium, he promised to take you, but he can't/won't out of FEAR."

  
"Why? Does something bad happen there?" River queried. "Is this Spoilers?"

  
"For him, yes, he must not know what happens/didn't, but for you the time has come to FIX the Timeline, His AND Yours!"

  
River stared at the TARDIS Interface, feeling her agitation, like a buzz in the back of her head. "So you are telling me something is about to happen, a thing that breaks his timeline falsely, and I'm to be the one to fix it?"

  
"Yes, yes, you must!" the TARDIS told her. "The lines are clear, the seconds coming, where you must simply STAY ALIVE!"

  
"Well dear, I do try NOT to die every day. What exactly happens to me? Can you show me in my mind?" River asked.

  
Suddenly, a maelstrom erupted in her head. Spinning scenes of planets razed for treeforms/tons of paper/books to print. Caught in tree stands lost in pages, shadow lifeforms roamed not, forests of the dead. "They brought Silence to the book shelves, in the Library, long ago. Every soul saved by one child."

  
River reeled and sought a chair, falling back into it, she tried to make sense of what she had seen. "What was that?" she asked, but received no response from the TARDIS Interface. "Did the Silence tamper once again?"

  
The Interface flickered and spoke. "Silent creatures/Silence bred, stolen Shadows, left them there. Vashta Nerada, they are known far. Never have they sought their prey in, buildings filled with books alone. All must happen in the Library, time must pass, the souls/minds must sleep. Only when you're called there, must go, all must be freed." Her sing-song voice was fading, slowing.

  
"Are you talking about The Library Planet? The one that's been locked down a hundred cycles? I have a job there coming up soon. What am I supposed to do?" River asked again.

  
The TARDIS Interface flickered and stablized a final time, the voice firm and steady. "Do this my Child. Go to the Control Room. There is a Sonic there for you. The Doctor/Thief thought to make it for you, he could not face it's meaning, so I made it. You will need it. He cannot know I gave it to you. Spoilers for Him. Timeline must flow, broken, for now."

  
"Okay, new Sonic. That's good. What else?" River questioned. "Tell me."

  
The TARDIS was calmer now. The Plan was moving, her Child on task. "I will tell you. You must go to a Room I made. Certain actions you must take. Follow my lead."

  
A glowing marker appeared before River, bouncing to attract her attention. "Lead on." River agreed, following the glow, first to the Control Room. Collect the Sonic. Flip a switch. The Doctor would sleep on, unknowing, until she returned to wake him. Gathering her robe around her, she followed again, deep into the halls and rooms of the TARDIS, to a Door not there before.

 

_Tell_

  
Opening the door and walking inside the room, River was met by the TARDIS Interface again. She was more serene, calmer. She spoke. "First, the Sonic."

  
River pulled it from her robe pocket to examine it. It had many functions not on the Doctor's sonic, enhancements she could see would be very useful. It fit her hand precisely. Flicked, the light glowed blue. There was a recognition ring for her little finger, meaning no one else could use it. Good.

  
Oh! A TARDIS Remote Return button! That would save time, and lots of running! The setting dials were much the same, but there were more of them...what's this? A neural relay? Space suits had those. She hated space suits, but nothing for it, the trip required she have one, and thus she'd procured it (rather dishonestly) and squirreled it away in the back of her closet in their room here on the TARDIS. If her suit had one, why would she need one on the sonic?

  
She looked up at the TARDIS Interface, getting used to the image of a pretty woman in a tattered dress, looking somewhat in a perpetual state of bemusement. She suspected anyone who spent any time with the Doctor at some time felt the same...she certainly did! River ventured a question. "Why a neural relay?"

  
"It will house your Ghost my Child." the Interface responded.

 

"Why would I have a Ghost if my task is NOT to die?" River asked, confused.

  
"Thief must think you die before him, else the Timeline for YOU twists. He MUST upload your Ghost in the Library, a backup Ghost he sees again."

  
"But why put him through all the pain of thinking I'm dead, if I'm really not? I don't understand!"

  
The TARDIS interface smiled fondly and replied. "He will/has forgiven us, Child of Mine."

  
River was exasperated. Trying to get a strait answer out of a time machine...impossible! "So let me get this right. I'm to call the Doctor to the Library, asking for his help. At some point we encounter the Vashta Nerada, at some point I appear to die but don't. What exactly do I do then, if he must think me dead. Surely my body would be evidence....unless consumed entirely?" She shuttered involuntarily, imagining herself being eaten by the Shadow Swarm.

  
"Your body won't be your body." the Interface responded.

  
River countered. "What does that MEAN exactly?" Her Mother's face, framed in ginger waves floated in her mind. She felt her heart squeeze, a pained smile at the memory those words called up.

  
The dim lights in the room rose to full brightness, revealing a slanted frame meant to hold a humanoid body. It was connected by relays to a nearby piece of modern electronics which was part of a large contraption containing a vat of creamy white liquid, swirling slowly.

  
Sudden understanding blossomed in River's mind. She addressed the Interface directly. "My body won't be my body? I will be a Ganger, yes?"

  
"Clever Child!" the TARDIS Interface responded. "But that's not all."

  
"What more must I do? I drive the Ganger from the harness, right. She appears to die, end of story?"

  
"Here is what must/will/has happened. You must know this NOW so that you take the true path onward. I will show you. It has/is/will happen. You must Remember."

 

_Show_

  
A less chaotic vision filled her mind, the TARDIS was communicating with her directly, with moving pictures. Pictures from her Future, coming soon.

  
She saw herself waking the Doctor from his slumbers this day to say goodbye. He begged her stay for tea, so she did, then had him drop her off at Luna, in her office. Work to do my love, she heard herself say, see you soon! She sees him briefly, runs from Rain Gods, spends a lovely night, the two of them alone.

  
Next time she sees him, it's his Tenth face. Another picnic somewhere, he came when she called, not even remembering the blanket. Shock was on his face, River thinks he must have already seen her die. Now she understands why HER Doctor, the Eleventh, ran from her all those years ago, not knowing yet who she was. Her death must haunt him. _I'm sorry my love._

  
Visions keep flowing, she is back on Luna, building her Team for the coming trip, Library bound. Then she's packed and ready, sends them to the Lux ship, she will be along soon. So far, makes sense.

  
A break, vision clears, she finds herself standing in the same room, wearing her space suit, helmet off. This is not now, this is future. She sees herself take off gloves, remove her vortex manipulator, empty pockets, including her diary. Then she drops equipment, unhooks devices, her new sonic included. She understands. She must enter the harness frame exactly as she was, base suit included. Moving or separate parts will not be part of her Ganger body, but the suit will. Now it's clear!

  
She will stay here on the TARDIS. Future, past or present, this Room exists! From this place the TARDIS guides and helps her, but there is one thing she knows she's missed. She must continue, and sees herself climb on the framework.

  
Next phase, she watches as her Flesh body forms and rises. New and unfinished, she practices walking it. Watches as her Ganger features become solid, every muscle, every curl. Then she's ready, she picks up her equipment, straps on the VM, pockets the diary, the sonic and scanner, all her equipment, even lunch boxes. Sudden thought. She thinks a question at the TARDIS in her mind. "How will time flow inside this room? Will the Ganger need to eat? Will I need to?"

  
The TARDIS Interface answers, laughing gently. "Time runs slow here, in this Room. You will be here only a brief time. The Ganger body does not need food, but it can consume sustanence convincingly."

  
"One more thing" River goes on, amused. "How close do I have to be to control the Ganger?"

  
"You won't be far, but even from here to Luna is close enough. I will be near with you safely in this Room, in the TARDIS, in the Library." the Interface continued, adding "I will be in your Mind as well. Necessary for your task to save them."

  
"Save who?" River asked, surprised.

  
"The souls, living minds uploaded to the Library database by the Operating System CAL to save them from the Shadow Swarm." the TARDIS explained. Over four thousand. That many souls take great power to keep Saved. CAL has no extra room, no memory space, being full of four thousand living minds, unaware. I can provide the space you're lacking. Even Time Lord brains can't survive.

  
"What? Oh great, NOW you mention it! Thanks Dear. Would have been nice to know ahead of time." River huffed.

  
"I will show you, you won't like it. This task is the reason why you appear to die." the TARDIS explained sheepishly...if that was possible for a machine, even a thinking one.

  
"Anything else you're not telling me Old Girl?" River asked patiently.

  
"The sonic holds your Ghost, the suit cannot, it's part of your Flesh body. I tell you this NOW, your Ghost must have this knowledge. Remember all."

  
"Go on." said River.

  
"Your Ghost will be summoned to a Conference Call from the Green One."

  
"Do you mean Vastra?" River asked.

  
"She is called that by some." the TARDIS Interface agreed. "There will be another woman, one you have not met. She will travel with the Doctor. It's VITAL she be there. Help her. You will be able to keep the link open, do it. She will save him."

  
"What will happen? Am I hidden?"

  
"No one can see you but the woman/girl. The Doctor is under attack. They seek his tomb. You must open it. He will NOT."

  
"How do I do that?" River wondered, worried.

  
"Speak his Name. No one but I will hear you. I AM his Tomb. You will know what to do. I have seen it."

  
River sighed. "Is that all?"

  
"You must leave your diary and sonic behind in the Library. The Doctor must have them. He will need the sonic to Save your Ghost to the Library databanks. You will need to use your handcuffs, to keep him from stopping your task. After you punch him."

  
"Punch him?" River smirked. "And why are there always handcuffs?" Oh Doctor, you Bad Boy!"

  
The TARDIS Interface continued, ignoring her. "Some will die, consumed by the Shadows. CAL will Save them, never fear. Your Data Ghost will be there with them, you will all be Recorded DEAD."

  
River's smile faded, but she couldn't resist adding. "Maybe I'll finally get some free time if the Universe thinks that I'm dead and buried. (pause) Sorry, gallows humor."

  
The TARDIS Interface looked at her, confused, but went on. "Showing you now what happens next, in the Library. Then there is one more thing I must show you, after all this task is done, one more task yet to come, very near the end."

  
Quickly River's mind saw visions moving, saw her Ganger Body flash, borne away by the VM to Lux's ship. No one ever seemed to realize that her body was not her own. Off they went and soon arrived above the Library Planet, using codes to allow them to land. She saw herself use Psychic Paper, the message read _"Doctor I need you, come to the Library."_ Or maybe the TARDIS sent the message via their planned link. Gangers are hardly psychic, they don't even have brains.

  
The next vision surprised her. The Doctor came but not HER Doctor, Tenth again, with Donna beside him. Before she became the Doctor Donna. This Doctor didn't know her, River, he'd not met her, even yet. First times, last times flashed before her. Back to Front their lives had been. THIS WAS WRONG.

  
More determined now, she knew this must succeed. She must mend the timelines, so there was a Future for them both together. Many years would pass, centuries. Time waits.

  
Quickly now, more flashed before her, all her team was lost and gone. Then the Autodestruct began. Ten minutes to save four thousand. The Doctor could not DIE here or they would never meet. She'd never even be born. There would be no Eleventh Doctor, NO MORE.

  
Punch the Doctor, bind him up. Leave the diary and the sonic. Just out of reach. Two minutes. He wakes up. The VM was set to transport. The TARDIS was in her mind. The connections were made. She saw her Ganger. He saw only River. Then she DIED. Flash of light that covered her Ganger disappearing, NOTHING was all he saw. Thinking her dead and atomized, he rose to leave there, found Donna, he was puzzled "Why the sonic?" Then he knew.

  
The TARDIS showed her one more image. The Tenth was racing to the Core. Uploaded the neural relay from her sonic, the Ghost of River. HER Doctor would see her on Trenzalore.

  
Visions cleared, and River was facing the TARDIS Interface once again. "So, my Ghost goes to Trenzalore" she said aloud.

 

_Truth_

  
"I've always known about Trenzalore." River offered. "Don't recall ever being there. Yet."

  
The TARDIS Interface smiled knowingly. "Your Ghost will go, to aid the Impossible Girl, she must save him once again. All will be Known, you will hear it. His Day will come."

  
"So Dear, what was the one thing more you need to show me?" River asked, feeling a need for more tea, and maybe a nap before waking the Doctor.

  
"My Child/River, this you must know, when your saving task is done. This is TRUTH" the TARDIS Interface emphasized. "Your Ganger will return to this Room, you will release it to the Pool. You MUST not see/be seen by the Doctor. Not yet."

  
River nodded. "I understand. He cannot know I survived the Library. The things he must do depend on that, but what do you mean by 'His Day will come'?"

  
"After your Ghost is released, my Thief/Doctor has tasks of his own, secrets revealed. You will learn of them then/when/someday. He returns with the Girl Impossible, they travel many places, see many things, and there is the Day."

  
"This girl, she is his new Companion?" River asked. "I kept telling him not to travel on his own...maybe he finally listened to me!"

  
"He always listens to you My Child." the Interface responded. She had lost most of her sing-song measured voice.

  
"Hold on, what is the Day? You said his Day will come. Explain please! How long must I wait to reveal my survival? Will my Doctor know before his end?"

  
"After your task in the Library, you won't have long to wait in your Timeline, but centuries will pass for him. I cannot tell you more than that. You would say it's 'Spoilers' my Child." Then the TARDIS Interface SMILED at her, proud she'd gotten to use the word.

  
River thought the TARDIS might even be 'giddy' with glee, so she let it go, smiling back.

  
The TARDIS Interface spoke. "Smiling is Nice. I like smiling. Kissing is better. Not biting."

  
River laughed out loud.

  
"My Child, I must tell you one thing more. When his tasks, his Day is over, safely home with his Companion, there will be another thing. A bad thing. After the Day his Time will come. Then you can reveal yourself.

  
River nodded, serious now. The Interface sounded almost Human. The TARDIS, she was...Advancing? Advanced beyond her programming! Her eyes widened.

  
"Recall the Tenth regenerated after the events at the End of Time? The Time Lords attempted to break throught the Time Lock and the Master stopped them, falling inside with them, to be trapped as well. They created his Madness, he got revenge."

  
"I do recall those events. The Time Lords made his Madness?" River asked, still thinking about what was happening to the TARDIS.

  
"Yes, and they are plotting/planning yet again. They found a weakness in the Universe, the Crack in Time that haunted Him. They seek to draw the Doctor to it, to speak the word that would let them back in this Universe, from which they are Hidden.

  
"Where is this place they seek to draw him?" River whispered, worried, yes.

  
"They have/did create a Truth Field around and through the Crack in the Wall of the Universe, then they will/began to call through, a single question to be answered, drawing every sort of creature, ally, enemy, All. They seek to know the answer to the Question. _The Oldest Question in the Universe, hidden in plain sight_."

  
River paled. "No. He Can't go there. Where is this place? Where do the Time Lords call him?"

  
The TARDIS Interface simply stated "They call him to Christmas. Christmas on Trenzalore"

  
"They want him to answer the Question, they want him to say his Name." River whispered. "He mustn't go there. He will die there before he answers them. He knows if he speaks they will come through and the Time War will begin anew. This is why the Silence chase him, they fear the Opening, fear the Answer." _Silence Will Fall/Must Fall._

  
"He IS there/has gone/been gone!" The TARDIS Interface cried. "All Time, I see. Happens at once!"

  
"What must I do?" River asked her. "His Time will come? Will I only be there to watch him die?"

  
"Complete the Plan! Then you can run to him. I will even take you. He sends/will send his Companion home to Earth, to protect her. I have/will yet bring her back two times. Every time he's gotten older, fighting battles against all foes. He spent/is spending even now, centuries on Trenzalore, refusing to Answer."

  
River's time sense was getting scrambled. The Doctor was elsewhere on the TARDIS, sleeping, still young, at least for someone nearly 1200 years old. She took a deep breath.

 

  
_Action_

  
"I'm getting confused, I'm tired and I can't make sense of this right now." River explained. "You are a time machine, we can go anywhen. I must sleep."

  
The TARDIS Interface nodded. "Child of Mine, you are correct. Sleep. We will Talk Again."

  
So River went off to find his/their bedroom, climbed up to the top of the giant kingsize bunked bed platform and snuggled under the covers with her Doctor, willing sleep to take her for a while.

  
Rising later, she felt herself living through the events she'd seen in the visons the TARDIS had showed her. They had tea and biscuits, and her Doctor took her home to Luna. The Plan had begun.

  
Events progressed at her pace, knowing she had only weeks. The one time she saw her Doctor, he had accidently taken her to the Planet of the Rain Gods, on which they nearly got sacrificed, or zapped, take your pick. He did a thing, tricked the guards and they were able to escape back to the TARDIS. _"Lucky for you you're pretty"_ she told him, before chasing him up the bunked bed ladder, warm inside the TARDIS. That was a particulary spectacular night. He was quite a bit younger than the last time she had seen him, but old enough to keep from flailing too much. She was able to slip out and speak again with the TARDIS Interface briefly. The Plan progressed.

  
The next time was the last before the Library. The Tenth staring at her as if he'd seen her Ghost. Poor Man. She made jokes and flirted half-heartedly, he clearly wanted to run away when he saw the picnic basket was not a dire emergency. Traveling alone he was now. He must have just left Donna behind, unknowing. She let him go with out complaint, not even trying to hitch a ride home.

  
Back at Luna, she got to work, scheduling and planning the trip to the Library. Her team compiled, all but Lux and his personal assistant. Some would die. That was something she could not change, all she could do was let the Doctor believe she was dead. She hoped it would not be a long time for her, but knew He would go through such pain. She'd had no idea how hard it had been for him to let himself love her, knowing she was on her way to her death, having already seen it happen. It explained much of their history together, including all those nights he came to her in Stormcage.

  
Well, if he could cheat death hiding in the Tesselecta, she could use Ganger Flesh to do the same.

  
The day came, her team boarded. She zapped back to the Room on the TARDIS, having preprogramed her VM for that purpose, it would return her back here when the time was right. All the things she watched herself do progressed, she lay in the Ganger control frame and watched her Flesh self zap away. Closing her eyes, she mentally felt for the TARDIS mind link then walked/ran/talked through her Ganger duplicate's actions as they unfolded over the hours spent on the Library Planet. One by one those with her were lost, she mourned them all, unable to change their fates. The only fate she could control was her own and that was by the use of the Ganger. She had to watch the Doctor watch her, saw his face's look of horror when he realized what she'd done. Time ticked down and he saw her die, vaporized before his eyes, blinded by the brilliant light.

  
God, now she was starting to sound like the TARDIS.

  
Mission accomplished, she treasured her new lease on life as the Ganger appeared, back from the dead, so to speak. Dumping all the equipment from her belts and pockets, her gloves and helmet left behind, she walked the Ganger into the Flesh pool and allowed it to melt back to it's liquid form. Feeling slimy, she clambered off the control framework and stripped the hated spacesuit from her body, mentally asking the TARDIS to drop it in a supernova. Her secret Room had recently acquired a bed, closet and ensuite bath...even a little kitchen so she could make tea. She decided she needed to shower, eat and take a nap after her Ganger performance, so she slipped naked into the shower, letting it rain down and wash away her guilt.

  
A good while later, fed and rested, she found the TARDIS Interface had joined her in the Room, and surprisingly her blue diary, torn and dirty, still full of spoilers, lay on her bed, the sonic was nowhere to be seen.

  
"The Plan was successful" the Interface stated.

  
"Obviously, I'm alive" River replied.

  
"He believes you dead."

  
"Yes, sadly. How did my diary get back here?"

  
"He left it, so I checked it out again." the TARDIS Interface answered.

  
"Did you just make a joke?"

  
"I made you a new sonic." was the response.

  
River checked her pockets, sure enough, brand new sonic. "Thank you." She studied the Interface, it was flickering. "Are you alright?" she asked.

  
"I was/am/will be." the TARDIS replied. "Talking is good, feeling is harder, I will learn."

  
"Everybody has to sometimes."

  
The TARDIS Interface studied her River/Child before asking "Why do some feelings hurt?"

  
"It's how you know you're Alive." River said gently.

 

  
_Love_

  
The TARDIS pondered what her Child had said for several seconds, a very long pondering for a time machine. Finally she spoke. "Alive. I like that word."

  
"So do I, Old Girl, so do I" her Child replied. "What do I do now? The Universe thinks I died."

  
"Down His timeline he has aged much. I can show you, if you like" the sing-song voice of the TARDIS spoke.

  
"No thanks, it would hurt too much" the Child sighed. "Where are we? When are we?" What do I need to do now?"

  
"My Child, we are already here. I have brought the Impossible Girl. He is dying. At the end of his Timeline. He needs her, he needs you Now."

  
River felt her hearts breaking, and could not control the tears which began to fall, streaming down her face. "So, all this, only for me to hold his hand as he dies? Am I to take up his war against the Universe?"

  
"No, my Child. He will win. I have/will see it."

  
"Then why? Why did I do all this, save myself, only to be there at his death?" River sobbed.

  
"The Impossible Girl will SAVE him, one more time."

  
"How? How will she do that?" replied the Child/River. "He has no more Faces, no more regenerations!" Suddenly, the TARDIS was in her mind, gently reassuring, and showing her an image of the girl Clara, whispering in the Crack in the Skin of the Universe. "What is she doing? Clara doesn't know His Name!" The Crack snapped shut. River could instantly hear the battle raging outside, and above Trenzalore. It was a pitched battle. The Town of Christmas was under siege. She could see her Doctor, bent and frail, standing, shouting at the sky from the top of a central bell tower. River smiled fondly through her tears. "He always loved shouting speeches at them, nothing changes." Then she saw it, the Crack, in the heavens, opening, pouring golden energy from it, pouring into the Doctor. He channeled the Regeneration energy skyward directing it at the vast Dalek mothership. "He's Regenerating! How?"

  
"It seems someone on the other side has helped him/saved him. Sent him a whole new set of faces" the TARDIS Interface said. "After all, it IS Christmas"

  
"That's some gift" River whispered, watching the final battle, seeing people emerge to survey the damage, wondering looks on their faces. She sees the Impossible Girl, Clara, enter the TARDIS. For a moment River thought she saw the external phone dangling from it's cord, but no. The phone compartment was firmly closed when Clara entered.

  
"It's Time. Time for you to go to the Doctor my Child." The TARDIS Interface spoke. "The Timeline is shifting, coming back onto the proper course. Go to the Console Room. Go NOW."

  
River ran from the Room, found herself in the corridor, just past the Helter-Skelter, but before the Wardrobe. She was near. She could hear Clara and the Doctor speaking. She hurried up the stairs and on to the platform. Everything looked different, all silver and cold and bare. Then she saw the Doctor, HER Doctor. He was young again! Regeneration energy glowed around him. She stopped. Clara gaped at her, eyes wide. The Doctor looked at Clara, then at River.

  
"Can you see her, can you see River?" he whispered. "Is she really here?"

  
Clara stared and then she spoke. "Yes, I see her." She reached out, touched River's arm, grasped her hand. "She's REAL. I feel her!"

  
The Doctor's youthful face glowed, his hazel eyes grew wide. "River" was all he could whisper. In his Mind, he reached for her Mind, touched it, drew her toward him. "How can you be here, my River Song?"

  
She stepped forward, took his hand as they spoke, Mind to Mind. Clara stood witness to them, hearing nothing. "How are you alive? I saw you die!" she heard him say in her head. River mentally shrugged. "Did a Thing. Tricked Death Sweetie. No more Spoilers." She released a stream of memories, showed him when the last time was she saw his face, on the Planet of the Rain Gods, not that many weeks back in her own relative time, showed him how the TARDIS helped her mend their broken lines, then be there with him on Trenzalore.

  
"I was Alone for so long River, but you are here now, and I can finally repay a very large debt." He reached for her, cupped her face as he had done, long ago for him, the last time he saw her face, the Ghostly one. "Now it's Time for us to LIVE" he whispered, bending to kiss her, opened the flow of Regeneration energy, pouring into her some of the Lives she had lent him all those centuries ago.

  
River felt the golden energy flow through her, her own body glowed golden, her mind filled with his love. Deep inside her body, she felt a tiny spark ignite, grow stronger. Something Touched her Mind, and His, and the Energy grew at the realization of that Spark, glowing with bright Happiness.

  
Gradually, the glow subsided. He hugged her body to him and spoke into her glorious hair. "River, my River. How I love you."

  
"I know Sweetie." said River, smiling brightly.

  
For the first time since River's entrance, Clara heard them speak. Stunned by what she'd witnessed, but happy all the same. "Oi! Get a room you two!"

  
They both turned to look at her. The youthful Doctor blushed. River commented "I see some things never change Sweetie" as she brushed back his fringe of sable hair.

  
"Explain Doctor, what happened? You didn't change your face!" Clara exclaimed.

  
The Doctor grasped his lapels, tugged on them and spoke. "Poured off the excess energy into River. Gave her back some lives of her own. Didn't need to change."

  
"There is presedence for that. Ten poured off excess Energy into his spare Hand, kept his same face. You were fairly vain then Doctor, were you not?" River commented, teasing him.

  
"Oi! You love this face River! I kept it just for you!" the Doctor whinged good naturedly, straightening his bow tie and turning to launch the TARDIS into the Time Vortex.

  
"Where are we going Doctor?" Clara asked.

  
"Taking you home my Clara. Christmas is come and gone. Time to welcome the Future." the Doctor told her, squeezing River's hand, still in his own.

  
Clara's face fell. "Oh. Now that you have your wife back, guess you won't be needing a Companion any more." she said despondently.

  
"Yes, that's true" the Doctor said, glancing at River fondly. "However, we may be needing a Nanny in a few months, if I'm not mistaken."

  
The TARDIS, lurched and bounced as Clara realized what he meant. Her eyes lit up and she beamed at them. At once they all felt a warm and happy glow emanating from the TARDIS console as it began to change, golden energy flowing around them in streams and curling flows of Time, and Love.


End file.
